


A Time to Embrace

by singer_shaper



Category: Ugly Betty
Genre: F/M, Holidays, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-04
Updated: 2012-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 02:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singer_shaper/pseuds/singer_shaper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shot set post-series. Written for LJ's daniel_betty Advent Challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Time to Embrace

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing related to Ugly Betty, the book of Ecclesiastes, or Miss Congeniality.

They've just finished dinner and are walking along the Thames, Hamleys bags dangling from Daniel's arms. Betty knows she can't really afford the things she bought, but Daniel insists that Justin and his new little sister will love their gifts, and she knows he's right. Under the lampposts, Daniel looks more relaxed than she's ever seen him, and Betty realizes that this is the moment she's been waiting for. Daniel's been clear from the beginning as to what he wants their relationship to be, and he's been nothing but patient over the last few months as she adjusts to the idea of them as a couple-couple and not a just-friends-couple. She's been trying to find a way to tell him she wants this as much as he does, but there have been so many awkward moments and interruptions, and she doesn't want to lose her chance again. So she grabs Daniel's left hand and swings in front of him to grab the other, walking backwards and leading him forward.

“Let's play a game,” Betty says. “From here on out, we only talk in movie lines. Go.”

Daniel only looks surprised for a few seconds before rising to her challenge, and they actually manage to make a half-decent conversation for the next few minutes. He says something from Star Wars – at least she thinks it's Star Wars – which is not romantic at all. But the lines from one of her favorite movies come into her head anyway, and she decides to take the risk.

“I know,” she says, “you think I'm gorgeous.”

Daniel's eyes grow wide. Betty pretends not to notice, lets go of his hands and throws herself into the moment, shaking her hips, snapping her fingers, twirling around.

“You think I'm gorgeous, you want to kiss me, you want to hug me –“

Daniel grabs her arms, whirling her about to face him. She breaks away and keeps talking, moving her arms from her shoulders down her chest.

“You want to love me, you want to hug me, you want to smooch me –”

Daniel stops her again and looks her straight in the eye. After a second, he quirks his mouth.

“Listen, I was thinking,” he starts, and she looks at him quizzically. “When we get back to the city, after we write up our reports and you get all uglied again, maybe we could have dinner.”

She can't help the smile that rises to her lips.

“You asking me on a date?”

“Just a casual dinner. And if we happen to have sex afterwards, so be it.”

They both start laughing, but after a few seconds, Daniel puts a finger under her chin and tips it up.

“Are you sure?”

His voice is gentle now. She knows how badly he wants her to be sure of him, of them, and she's pleasantly surprised by how sure she is. So she puts a hand around his neck and tugs his face down to meet hers. Their foreheads touch, then their noses, and finally, finally their lips.

When they pull back, Betty grins big before she starts again.

“You think I'm gorgeous, you want to date me, love me and marry me –”

“One thing at a time,” he says, and they keep walking into the night.


End file.
